Kastner Westman & Wilkins, LLC attorneys James P. Wilkins and John W. McKenzie were selected for the Best Lawyers® in America 2022 edition.
Wilkins, a Shareholder, is a four-time honoree in the Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management and Litigation-Labor and Employment practice areas.
McKenzie, a Shareholder, is a first-time honoree in the practice areas of Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management and Litigation-Labor and Employment.
Each year, the international Best Lawyers organization conducts confidential peer-review surveys among its honorees to assess nominees. For the 2022 edition, more than 10.8 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 66,000 leading lawyers being honored.
Wilkins is an Ohio State Bar Association-certified specialist in labor and employment law with a degree from the National Law Center, George Washington University. He represents and counsels employers on union relations matters, including collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration proceedings, and advises clients on compliance with the full range of labor and employment laws.
McKenzie graduated from the Case Western Reserve University of School of Law. He regularly advises clients on employment contracts, sexual harassment investigations, severance agreements, non-competition matters and reductions in force. McKenzie specializes in defending wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, and wage and hour actions, and assists employers with their labor negotiations and related matters.
Julie A. Trout was selected for the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch award.
Trout, an Associate, is a repeat honoree in the practice area of Labor and Employment Law.
Trout graduated from The University of Akron School of Law. She works with clients to prevent problems by providing proactive advice to employers on various topics, including complicated leave management or reasonable accommodation issues, wage and hour compliance, performance management and corrective action.
Kastner Westman & Wilkins’ clients range from Fortune 500 companies to smaller regional businesses, and both local institutional employers and public sector entities.
The firm provides employers with counsel and representation in affirmative action compliance, alternative dispute resolution, employee benefits, employment litigation, EEOC charges, human resources consulting, labor arbitrations and negotiations, occupational safety and health, trade secret and non-compete litigation, wage and hour issues, and workers’ compensation.